How many “Om”s does it take to power online student success?

David Levy’s course “Information and Contemplation” engages students in mind-training exercises like an email drill where learners practice doing nothing but email for 15 minutes of time. Activities like this help students tune in to the overlap between their attention and intention. From both metacognitive and a wellness perspective, this makes sense.

Integrating mindfulness in education isn’t a surprise to followers of Howard Rheingold who has been encouraging educators to integrate ‘netsmart‘ literacies including attention, participation, collaboration, “crap detection,” and “network smarts.”

You don’t have to look far these days to see integrations of mindful practices such as mindfulness and yoga in face to face education…

but how can we use this in online education?

“Mindfulness is… (Photo credit: ConnectIrmeli)

Here are three ways you can easily integrate mindfulness in your online class.

Make them stretch – Add a “hands on/minds on” activity to the instructions of a challenging activity. Utilize Vanderbilt University’s Desk Yoga Practices .pdf with option to share an artifact after – perhaps to the course hashtag, G+ community, or FB group.

Help them breathe – Integrate full brain breathing into audio narrations, podcasts, YouTube videos/screencasts, and synchronous webconferencing events. Simple cues like “Relax. Breathe deeply.” or “So let’s just breathe for a moment as we take that in” can help students take in more breath during learning. What is the cumulative effect of all of your learners brains getting more fresh blood and oxygen? In case you didn’t know it, breathing is something we don’t tend to do well while online; read more about email apnea. Not only does deep breathing increase brain power, it also reduces stress. How can educators get familiar with breathing (known in yoga as pranayama) practice? The best way is to practice it yourself.

Create a virtual relaxation room – Share your favorite chillax YouTube clips in a playlist for your learners. There’s more to YouTube than cats and educational videos, right? Find some relaxing clips, add them to a playlist and share in your course. I started with this loving kindness meditation for college students – maybe you’d pick a relaxing beach or zen garden. Perhaps you’d ask your students to contribute resources for the relaxation room.

Whichever ideas you explore… talk about your integrations of mindfulness to your learners in your course. Encourage discussion of their ideas and thoughts about information, work, health and technology. Perhaps sharing some articles about David Levy’s course will be a nice segue into this topic with your learners. Most of all? Don’t get too attached to what students do with the resources you put out there – just share it with good thoughts and consider it an offering.

You can read more about meditation, yoga and education in these articles. Enjoy!

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So often we ignore messages from our body. Today’s meditation challenge introduces Ayurvedic doshas and the Anja (Third Eye) Chakra.

How can you tune in today to the connection between your mind and body? I’ll be online for work a few hours continuously today. I’m going to have to focus a little bit more on what my body needs tonight.

I enjoyed this meditation. It opened my heart and gave me time to reflect on finding balance as it relates to the ‘highest self’ and ‘perfect health.’ If gratitude is the food of the heart, passion is the drink. I loved how Deepak incorporated the concepts of drive, instinct and Ayurveda.

As a self-called eduyogi, my intention is to celebrate the connections between mindfulness and learning so I can better be in ‘perfect health’ – in tune with the most auspicious possibilities for my path and my service, in work and life.

Balance is a concept that can be hard to find in institutions, organizations, teams and … even yoga classes!

Here’s a tweet that gave me an opportunity to reflect on finding balance (opening the heart chakra) of your organization or team.

The thoughts we have about ourselves can be limiting. We commonly accept ideas about our selves from static moments in time; snapshots – not even close to the reality of possibilities in the present.

By going inward to a place of perfect health – to our ‘best self’ – where disease, pain and suffering cannot exist we can find a space to see beyond previous assumptions.

By being present with this space, where possibilities are endless, we invite the mind to find balance and peace in the present moment.

To make a commitment to truly considering the field of all possibilities, go inside this space on your next meditation. You’ll return to your day more connected to the bigger picture of your relationships, your work, and your health remembering that you are not a snapshot of yourself in time. You are a vibrant evolving human in tune with peace and happiness in your life.

What reflections did your meditation bring you today? You might enjoy Deepak’s 21 day challenge if you (like me) benefit from social goals and support.